He doesn't make an elephant disappear or saw a lady in half. He doesn't
tell a stranger how many bills he has in his wallet or pull a rabbit out
of his hat. Yet in the realm of prestidigitation there is no more skillful
performer - not Blackstone, not Doug Henning, not the Amazing Kreskin than
the St. Louis Blues' Ukrainian magician, Bernie Federko.

The hockey stick is Federko's wand. And when he's inside the blueline,
enemy goalies mesmerized by his sleight-of-hand would swear he wears a top
hat and tails. Now that the Blues have established themselves as one of
the NHL's top teams, Federko's light is no longer hidden under a bushel.

Federko is a typical Jean Ratelle, Jean Beliveau, Stan Mikita type in
that he's consistent and always among the Ieague's top 10 scorers. With
104 points (31 goals, 73 assists) last season, Federko became the first
100-point scorer in St. Louis history.

"He could score a helluva lot more goals - 50 for sure - if he weren't
such a generous centermen," Berenson says. "He threads the needle
with his passes."

"An assist is as gratifying to me as a goal, definitely," Federko
says.

Even when the ratio is two or three assists to one goal, as has been
the case the past two seasons, Federko nods affirmatively. Even then.

Not surprisingly for a magician, Federko's ice skills are deceptive.
He doesn't appear to overpower defensemen and park in the slot the way,
say, Phil Esposito used to. And he doesn't seem to be a fast skater.

"Bernie has deceiving speed," affirms Berenson. "He can
open up and leave people behind him." Others cite Federko's deceiving
strength.

"For one thing, I weigh 195 pounds," the six-foot Federko says.
"I think some of the guidebooks still list me at 178. If the defensemen
don't know who's coming on 'em, you can give them that little pushoff. I
lift a few weights here and there. I don't bulk up, but I'm stronger than
I think sometimes.

"As for speed, I don't look like I'm going fast, but I have quick
acceleration. You can be the fastest skater in hockey, but if you can't
control yourself, that speed isn't going to do you any good."

Although only 25, Federko brought four and a half years of NHL experience
into this season. "Now I know the ins and outs," Federko says
matter-of-factly. "After watching players like Jean Ratelle, and the
things he does so well, I know ways you can cheat without getting caught."

The Blues' first-round choice (seventh overall) in the 1976 draft, Federko
spent the first half of his initial season in Kansas City (CHL). Bernie
and both his linemates were called up to the parent club in February and
acquitted themselves admirably.

"This is the foundation of the team we're going to build,"
the Blues' then-coach Emile Francis said as the 1976-77 season ended and
he turned his attention solely to front-office matters in an effort to revitalize
a sinking franchise.

Federko was a disappointment for much of his first full NHL season, 1977-78.
"I hurt my shoulder and knee at the start of the season, then tried
to come back too soon," Bernie remembers.

"Leo Boivin was our coach, and he was from the old school. You sit
and watch before you play. There were three centers ahead of me. When Barc
(Plager - the next coach) took over, he believed in us and we got more ice
time." Federko's line finished strong.

Fellow Ukrainian Wayne Babych was drafted in 1979 and placed opposite
Sutter (Brian - left winger on Federko line), and suddenly Federko was centering
the Blues' No. 1 line. "We ran into everybody's checking lines the
second half of the season," Bernie recalls. Unfortunately, the Blues
had little else going for them except Federko's line and finished with a
dreadful record. Federko broke his left wrist with five games left and finished
the season five points short of 100.

President-general manager Francis' rebuilding program began to pay dividends
two seasons ago.

"We knew we had the talent, and we were learning to work with each
other," Federko remembers. Blair Chapman came in, replacing Babych
on our line and clicked early. Mike Zuke (the third Ukrainian in St. Louis)
and Babych worked well together, and all of a sudden we had two scoring
lines instead of one. More depth. If we got checked hard, another line came
through."

Last year St. Louis ranked near the top of the NHL's overall standings,
and nobody more thoroughly appreciates the Blues' success than Federko,
who was with the club when it was a doormat.

"I used to go home and you didn't want to tell people who you played
for," Bernie says. "You could finish in the top 10 scorers, but
you were only the best of the worst. Now we've got nine or 10 guys who are
scoring threats. In two years we've gone from second worst to: second best."

Off the ice, Federko likes music ("nothing heavy, no wild screaming")
and wishes he could play an instrument. He's also a recent family man since
his wife Bernadette presented him with their first child in March of last
year.

In the clubhouse and in team-related activities, Federko is something
of a wise-cracker and has been known to pull a practical joke or two in
his day. "Sometimes it helps if there's tension in the air," he
says.

Beneath this facade, though, he takes the game to heart - especially
when things are not going well - and he has a tendency to fight the puck
if he feels he's letting the team down. "In a slump your mind gets
boggled," he admits. "It's all mental. You cant get down on yourself.
You have to remind yourself you're doing the same things you've always done.
You can't lose the confidence to try them any more and your adrenaline turn
to lead.

"Eventually one of your shots will bounce off somebody's skate for
a lucky goal and a little beam of light will flash into your brain: you
can do it. During a slump, though, you try to stay loose to keep from losing
your mind."

Berenson thinks Federko is underrated.

"For a centerman, he's very good with his feel along the boards
digging the puck out," the Blues' coach says. "He's not a great
practice player, but he is not a floater either. He's not afraid of hard
work and has a good capacity for it.

"In games, he's effective no matter who his wings are. I can put
Chapman, Tony Currie or Babych on his right wing, and they all look at home
there. Sutter missed one game, so Jorgen Petterson played left wing and
scored three goals."

More than most centers, Federko likes to set plays up from behind the
cage.

"In one game, Edmonton was crowding the front of the net, so I went
behind it. It worked well for us, so we kept doing it. It's a tough play
for the defense. Having the cage there is like having another guy on your
side."

Although he's already established himself as a prolific scorer, Federko
thinks he is several years away from his peak and hopes to improve his game
in the interim.

"I don't need work on just one part," he insists. "Overpassing,
knowing the exact time to shoot - the judgement area - my defensive game,
everything. I'm a plus on defense, but not as high as I'd like to be. I'm
not bad, but I'm not as good as I should or could be."

To Federko, as to most of the Blues, winning the Stanley Cup is the paramount
objective. But, he remains realistic.

"We're all very inexperienced in the playoffs," he admits.
"Out of 20 guys, we probably don't have 100 playoff games among us.
We're going to be there, and ready this time, but if things don't work out,
there's always next year. We're still a team on the way up.

"The prime age of hockey is 27 to 28, and most of us are several
years or more younger than that. We may be two or three years away from
our full potential. But if we only come close to the cup, next year we'll
pick up some little things we need in the draft and get better.

"The Stanley Cup is definitely our goal, even this year, and it's
going to take a heckuva team to beat us."

Federko, Bernard Allan (Bernie)

Born in Foam Lake, Sask., May 12, 1956

Center, shoots left. 6', 195 lbs.

(St. Louis' first choice, seventh over-all, in 1976
draft)

Season

Club

League

Regular Season

Playoffs

GP

G

A

PTS

PIM

GP

G

A

PTS

PIM

1976-77a

K.C.

CHL

42

30

39

69

41

­

­

­

­

­

1976-77

St. Louis

NHL

31

14

9

23

15

4

1

1

2

2

1977-78

St. Louis

NHL

72

17

24

41

27

­

­

­

­

­

1978-79

St. Louis

NHL

74

31

64

95

14

­

­

­

­

­

1979-80

St. Louis

NHL

79

38

56

94

24

3

1

0

1

2

1980-81

St. Louis

NHL

78

31

73

104

47

11

8

10

18

2

Ukrainian players on NHL training camp rosters

When the 1981 National Hockey League teams opened their training camps
in September no less than 65 Ukrainian stars were vying for spots on opening-day
rosters. The majority of these Ukrainian hopefuls were youngsters destined
for further seasoning with their junior league clubs or on professional
contracts in the four-tier level of the minor leagues.

A positional breakdown shows nine Ukrainian goaltenders (13.8 percent),
18 defensemen (27.7 percent), 19 centers (29.2 percent), eight left wingers
(12.3 percent) and 11 right wingers (16.9 percent). From the above it can
be concluded that 70.8 percent of Ukrainian hockey players choose to specialize
in one of the three "skill" positions of hockey, namely goaltending,
defense and center.

Certainly goalie is the most difficult of any position on the ice - it
requires literally years of practice. Defense requires the ability to skate
forward and backward in order that this player may aid in defending against
an on-rushing attack and generate his own team's offense with a rush from
within his own zone. A center must generate natural speed, develop, the
knack of winning face-offs so that his team may take control of play, feed
his two wingers at appropriate times and show some semblance of an accurate
shot.

Looking at teams heavily populated with Ukrainians finds the Chicago
Black Hawks leading the way with seven, the New York Islanders next with
six. Five Ukrainians are listed with Washington and Winnipeg while St. Louis,
Toronto and Calgary each boast four. The remaining clubs have at least a
duo or trio with two exceptions (Minnesota and Quebec). Pittsburgh (shame
on you, Penguins) is the only NHL franchise with nary a Ukrainian hockey
player.

Not to be forgotten are our three Ukrainian coaches: Mike Nykoluk, Cliff
Koroll and Walt Tkaczuk. The former is into his first full year as head
coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs after taking over midway through last season.
Nykoluk was rather rudely treated by his previous employers, the New York
Rangers, following Fred Shero's dismissal. Believing it simply a matter
of time before he received a head coaching job, Mike was proven correct
by Toronto's offer last year.

Ex-Black Hawk right winger Koroll enters his second full season as Keith
Magnuson's assistant in Chicago. Cliff, known for his special defensive
abilities during his long career, coaches the forwards with a strong emphasis
on teaching them the arts of forechecking and defensive positioning on the
ice.

A serious eye injury prematurely ended Tkaczuk's lengthy active service
with the Rangers. However, his knowledge and skill of the game proved to
be impressive enough to land him an assistant's spot with his former team.
Walt also begins his first full season behind the bench next to head coach
Herb Brooks, usually manning head phones in communication with another assistant
or scout in the press box. His primary duty is to instruct the young Ranger
centers.

UKRAINIAN HOCKEY STARS
ON 1981 NHL TRAINING CAMP ROSTERS:

Team

Player

Pos.

Boston

Mike Krushelnyski

C

Larry Melnyk

D

Buffalo

Chris Halyk

C

Mark Wichrowski

RW

Calgary

Jeff Lastiwka

GT

Peter Madach

C

Carl Morosak

LW

Rick Vasko

D

Chicago

Bob Janecyk

GT

Steve Ludzik

C

Tom Lysiak

C

Perry Pelensky

RW

Warren Skorodenski

GT

Bart Yachimec

RW

Miles Zaharko

D

Colorado

Rich Chernomaz

C

Steve Janaszak

GT

Bill Oleschuk

GT

Detroit

Larry Lozinski

GT

John Ogrodnick

LW

Dennis Polonich

RW

Edmonton

Walt Poddubny

C

Dave Semenko

LW

Hartford

Joe Kowal

LW

John Mokosak

D

Paul Shmyr

D

Los Angeles

Dan Bonar

C

Pete Luksa

D

Dennis Owchar

D

Minnesota

Mike Antonovich

C

Montreal

Al Luciw

D

Dave Orleski

LW

Greg Paslawski

RW

New York Islanders

Mike Bossy

RW

Neil Hawryliw

LW

Mike Hordy

D

Kelly Hrudey

GT

Peter Steblyk

D

Steve Stoyanovich

C

New York Rangers

Jeff Bandura

D

Ed Hospodar

D

Philadelphia

Mike Busniuk

D

David Michayluk

RW

Taras Zytynsky

D

Quebec

Chint Malarchuk

GT

St. Louis

Wayne Babych

RW

Bernie Federko

C

Richard Zemlak

C

Mike Zuke

C

Toronto

Fred Boimistruck

D

Mike Kaszycki

C

Rocky Saganiuk

RW

Gary Yaremchuk

C

Vancouver

Stu Kulak

RW

Stan Smyl

RW

Washington

Mike Fedorko

D

Bill Hlynsky

LW

Orest Kindrachuk

C

Dennis Maruk

C

Peter Sidorkiewicz

GT

Winnipeg

Dave Babych

D

Dale Hawerchuk

C

Bill Holowaty

C

Greg Kostenko

D

Morris Lukowich

LW

COACHES:

Chicago

Cliff Koroll

Assistant Coach

New York Rangers

Walt Tkaczuk

Assistant Coach

Toronto

Mike Nykoluk

Head Coach

Ukrainian headliners

Maruk scores 4 for Capitals
Semenko excels in Oilers' victory

The above headlines appeared atop two of United Press International's
daily accounts of hockey story lines from the first two months of this season.
They refer to Washington's Maruk notching his second hat trick of the young
campaign (actually Dennis did himself one better by scoring four goals)
and Edmonton's Semenko grabbing the scoring spotlight in his team's recent
victory over Vancouver where Dave netted two goals including the game-tying
sot.

NHL Ukrainian player of the week

Dennis Maruk
Washington Capitals

By tallying two goals and assisting on three others scored by grateful
teammates, thus totalling five points in an 11-2 annihilation of hapless
Toronto, Dennis Maruk is honored as our first player of the week. At press
time Dennis had catapulted to seventh on the NHL scoring list.

Runners-up: In two St. Louis wins Bernie Federko and Wayne Babych each
registered one goal and three assists as the Blues began their uphill comeback
in the league standings.